Who will manage our response?

The country mourns more than 100 people who died after flash floods in central Texas on July 4 and the weekend. It’s a tragic reminder that extreme weather has become More common event. In addition to the Kerrville disaster, there is Severe mountain torrents occurred in the west earlier this year New York State,,,,, Tennessee,,,,, Kentuckylast summer Vermont. Unlike hurricanes and earthquakes, there is no “flash torrent” season. It can be said that this is one of the most dangerous natural disasters that have hit the community. Move at such a speed that the ground cannot absorb water quickly enough.

However, what we know is that the unpolitical nature of the flash torrents to whether the victims live in red, blue or purple areas and whether the state is inhabited. Survivors need disaster relief, not politically blame games. after all, Disaster management at the federal, state and local levels is performed by professionals and is committed to saving as many lives as possible.

However, disaster management policies are in a period of change under the second Trump administration. Shortly after taking office in January, the president Established Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Board. He also argued that the agency had “political bias” and noted that “$30 billion in disaster aid” remained “fragile Americans have no resources or support when they need it most.”

Then in May, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem double By testifying, “…We are repositioning the responsibilities of the Federal Emergency Management Agency…This consistency is designed to enable national and local jurisdictions and individuals to engage in national resilience and preparation more actively. ”

The president followed up in early June and announced that he would start “Gradually phased outFEMA aims to completely disband the agency before the end of this year’s hurricane season and transfer disaster management responsibilities to states.

In other words, whether it is this disaster season or the next disaster, it will change.

FEMA’s disaster relief work has advantages and disadvantages. On the bright side, having a responsible agency can simplify relief efforts that often have government-wide, including federal, state and local resources. Coordinating multiple relief agencies is inefficient. On the downside, the NWS and NOAA cutting may have been in a dilemma, preventing them from fully fulfiling the mission of saving lives. More importantly, what is the state salary? In other words, how will these services be paid when a state bears large new spending? For example, will Texas be forced to cut down on the critical services it provides, raise taxes or some other activity? Other open questions include how to fund FEMA mitigation grants. After all, a dollar is spent Reduce Convert to six dollars for relief.

These are just some of the issues that the Trump administration and state leaders have on both sides of the aisle, and if they want to reimagine disaster relief in the country, they must work to resolve. As we invest in early warning systems, disaster prevention and reconstruction of human life and billions of dollars, there will be countless others.